(Irin may be found here)
Regulators
(The Inflictors, Finaglists, Cheaters)
It's not his fault that the universe isn't worthy of his ideas. It’s such a good idea, too: such a... useful idea. All we need is just a tweak or two...
And then we'll show them. We'll show them all.
Regulators are, to a demon, saddened that Archangel Vapula had not first created them during the 18th Century, in those heady first days when the laws of physics seemed to be there for the taking (in any sense that you like). They are sure that they could have done epic things, back then. Alas, the world has grown smaller since then, and the opportunities for truly glorious science have grown sparse.
Best to make the best of what opportunities do arise, then.
Resonance
In science (to vastly oversimplify), the idea is that when theory and experiment collide, and if there's no flaw in the data or how it was collected, then the theory has to give way. This can be distressing, as the scientific method is notoriously and officially indifferent to such important considerations as aesthetics, ideology, personal desire, fairness, economic need, or legal concerns.
The Regulators are there to lighten the oppression of such a cruel process, really. And so easy: with the touch of a resonance, they can make the results match the answer that someone has already picked out...
Dissonance
A Regulator who uses his resonance to validate someone's theory must make certain that the target continues to believe in the theory for the next week, no matter what evidence appears to the contrary. Failure to do this causes dissonance for the demon. Of course, a successful resonance roll can often handle an immediate problem, but it also resets the clock...
Manner and Appearance
Regulators prefer not to look like anyone in particular: they excel in situations where they may be effectively anonymous. Generally, they have found that being vaguely distasteful, but not quite disturbing, works well for people leaving them alone. A lanky-haired, slightly stooped graduate student with a clammy handshake and just the slightest whiff of dishwashing detergent about him is generally the kind of camouflage that a Regulator attempts to bring off; if nothing else, it explains away any obvious weirdness in a fashion that keeps people from wanting to investigate further.
In their celestial form, Regulators appear much like the stereotypical Greys of UFO lore: grey skin, black eyes, no obvious genitalia, and short. Modifications to that form include small demonic horns and tail.
The greatest danger to a Regulator is that he may make a terrible mistake in whom he picks to "assist." Generally, they operate according to the strict wishes of Archangel Vapula - or what they think are the strict wishes of Archangel Vapula, which is quite often not really the same thing at all - and judge their "client's" plans in terms of that. The lash of dissonance that comes from failure to impose their Archangel's Will upon their client may encourage one to seek out what the truth really is. Those who survive may become Irin, Jean's Minor Choir of angels tasked to manage humanity's path of knowledge.
As for musical instruments... they are whatever Archangel Vapula wishes to play. And of course he clearly wishes to play [favorite musical instrument here].
Game Mechanics
A regulator begins by making a simple resonance roll; a success will automatically give the demon the details of the theory, why it's wrong, and what results would be necessary to make it come out right. This information will remain instantly to hand for the next (CD) days.
Of course, you don't need a supernatural entity to fudge an experimental result, but you do need one to fudge somebody else's experimental result without anyone able to prove that it was you who did it. For the length of the resonance, the Finaglist may control the results of any one experiment that he knows about to make it fit his client's theory. This is automatic, but it also reduces the length of the resonance by one day for every time that this is invoked (minimum one day). As this will have no effect on the Regulator's dissonance condition, the demon can quite often find himself in an interesting situation, particularly if the theory is controversial, and everyone is doing their own checks...
More Sophisticated Uses of Resonance
A Regulator can deliberately ratchet down the level of his resonance so that only the broad outlines of the target's theory are known. While this does not allow the demon to intervene, it is still enough information to justify a reaction bonus from the target equal to the CD of that roll (regular duration) - and the Regulator will not suffer from dissonance if the mortal in question abandons his theory.
Regulators in the War
Regulators do not handle the big scientific controversies: they could, but too many people check and cross-check the results to make it feasible for any one Cheater to control the situation. Where Regulators excel is in altering the results of experiments that are not easily reproducible, or where there is a potential range of results. Despite their primary use as corrupters of hard scientific data, they are if anything even better at manipulating statistical results. An election is beyond their power to control - each individual vote needs to be resonated - but the Symphony is apparently more willing to allow an imposition on a survey or poll. There are a lot of Regulators trying to figure out why, the better to see if there's any way around the problem. The practical result of this is that both Kronos and Nybbas can find a use for a Regulator willing to work outside of the hard sciences, which is why they tend to get Fallen Irin who won't work for Vapula (a not insignificant number). Vapula doesn't much care, as long as they aren't poaching from him.
Regulator of Technology
Vapula's Regulators get calculators that let them add their Ethereal Forces to all Knowledge: Mathematics or Engineering rolls.
Regulator of Fate (Restricted)
A resonance roll will also reveal to the demon whether or not the target's theory is linked to his Fate, and in what way. This is not always an unmitigated blessing, especially when Word-dissonance and Band-dissonance contradict.
Regulator of the Media
They get a pollster or statistician as a servant; in fact, Regulators of the Media all "work" for the same media research firm, which is fully integrated into the entire incestuous world of polling and public relations. They are given almost enough corporeal assistance to not even need their resonances in the first place - but they all use them anyway, as Nybbas has made it clear that with great power comes a perfect success rate...
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